Books can have "figures". Figures in a Leanpub book are:
- Images
- Code Blocks
- Math
- Videos
Most authors are happy with the default settings for how figures are handled: that's why we made them the default settings!
But some authors (or editors, book designers, or publishers) have specific preferences or requirements around figures that differ from our default settings.
In this article, we're going to show you how figures work, what they look like, where you can adjust the settings, and how you can create a list of figures in your book.
Figures for Images, Code Blocks, and Math
If you add a "title" to an image, a code block, or some math, we will automatically add the title as a figure title.
For an image, this:
{alt: "a picture of palm trees against a blue sky", title: "Palm Trees"}
...will produce this, with the figure title under the image:
For a code block, this:
{title: "Hello World in Ruby"}
```ruby
require 'time'
# This is just some pointless code so you can see the syntax highlighting...
def display_info
pi = Math::PI.round(10)
time_last_year = (Time.now - 365 * 24 * 60 * 60).getlocal("-08:00")
formatted_time = time_last_year.strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S")
puts "Pi to 10 decimal places: #{pi}"
puts "The time 1 year ago in Pacific Time: #{formatted_time}"
end
```
...will produce this, with the figure title above the image:
For a math, this:
{title: "Something Involving Sums"}
```latexmath
\left|\sum_{i=1}^n a_ib_i\right|
\le
\left(\sum_{i=1}^n a_i^2\right)^{1/2}
\left(\sum_{i=1}^n b_i^2\right)^{1/2}
...will produce this, with the figure title under the image:
Changing the Figure Settings
You can change the figure settings on the Theme page for your book, by choosing the Custom theme.
You can learn where to find the Theme page for your book here:
Here's a screenshot of the Figures section from the Theme page:
Figure Spacing
Here, you can change the vertical spacing above and below figures.
Here is the default spacing for a figure with a paragraph above and below it:
Let's increase the spacing setting above and below figures from 2 to 3:
After you make the change, make sure to scroll to the bottom of the page and click the "Update Theme" button:
The next time you create a preview, the figure spacing will reflect your change:
Figure Numbering
You can also change the figure numbering. Let's change it to "Number figures sequentially within each chapter, e.g. 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 3.1, 3.2, etc.":
Here's what that looks like:
Figure Caption Font Size
Further up the Theme page, you can also change the Figure Caption Font Size:
Let's make it bigger:
Here's what that looks like:
Creating a List of Figures at the Beginning of the Book
You can easily add a list of figures to your book by typing {figures} (with a blank line below it) above the first chapter heading, like this:
{figures}
# Chapter One
You can learn how to create a list of figures here:
Questions or Feedback
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